Lentils Recipes

Dal is a mainstay on Indian tables. It's such a staple that it accompanies almost every meal at my home, especially for my father-in-law. In general, the lentil dish is internationally renowned for its simple ingredients: lentils (whatever kind), ghee or oil and chiles with various spices and flavorings such as garlic, ginger or cumin.

Over the years, I've learned to enjoy dal.. Interestingly, the key to a well-balanced vegetarian diet (75% of my family have adopted a vegetarian regimen) is to combine a starch (such as rice) and a legume (such as beans or lentils). My favorite lentil meal is kali dal with freshly steamed browm basmati rice and a dollop of ghee. I've listed a few of our family's favorites for you to try. Dal is nutritious and so tasty with the added heat from the chile peppers. Even baby Aria enjoys many of these dal dishes!

After preparing beef bourgouignon a few weeks ago for baby Aria, I wanted to prepare another beef stew that is nutritious with a velvety consistency. I used pearl barley for the sauce and served crispy pan-fried polenta rounds for a nice contrast of texture.

I try to balance her meals and not serve her too many dishes made with white flour, so barley and polenta are a great alternative. My mother-in-law has just been diagnosed with celiac disease and has been asking me about gluten alternatives that would help her not miss gluten and would satisfy her appetite as much as regular bread or pasta. There are so many other options; you just have to think outside the box.

This is my interpretation of mash ki dal, which is traditionally a lentil dish made from tikki dal. For this version, I prepared it with pearled barley, which I think has a marvelous texture that works well for the dish. I soaked the barley overnight so the grains were fully hydrated.

The rest of the preparation consists of a few coarsely chopped tomatoes, dried red chiles, thinly sliced ginger and chopped coriander. It's nutritious, tasty and not that complicated. Perfect for our family's dinner meal!

I'll be in Los Angeles this weekend sharing samples from my latest cookbook, Banh Mi, at a pre-party for the Golden Globes. Stay tuned for pictures!

Haleem is one of my husband Lulu's many favorite dishes. It has a velvety consistency and is usually made of pearled wheat germ (sometimes with barley as well), stewed meat (chicken, goat meat or beef shanks), five varieties of lentils and various spices. Since Lulu and his dad are vegetarians, I prepare it meat-free (so appropriate for our Meatless Mondays!). The thick lentil stew is served piping hot with fresh ginger cut into thin matchsticks, daikon pieces, fresh mint (sometimes with dill also), chopped chiles, lime wedges and a garnish of crispy fried onions.

It used to be a labor-intensive task to turn the mixture into a thick paste, but these days a food processor makes it easy breezy. Thank you so much to Phoopi (Daddy's sister) who taught me this wonderful dish, despite her extremely busy schedule. Lulu is so excited he wants to eat vegetarian haleem everyday!

Unlike in traditional Indian cuisine where lentils are usually the main dish, French green lentils are served as a side with sausages or various meats. Of course, with as many vegetarians as I have in my home, I typically serve it without meat.

In this recipe I cooked the lentils with fennel, fresh lemon thyme, black peppercorns, caramelized onions and a bay leaf. They lentils are known as “Puy” lentils because they originate from Le Puy, in the Auvergne region of France. They have an almost blue-ish shine with a delicate, peppery flavor.